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The Martian General's Daughter (2008)

by Theodore Judson(Favorite Author)

3.26 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1591026431 (ISBN13: 9781591026433)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Pyr

review 1: This book is supposed to be a retelling of the fall of Rome, with a general technological collapse aiding the general collapse of society. Chapters alternate between the "present day" at the end of the empire, and some years before, when one particularly terrible emperor reigned. The problem with flashbacks is that you know how things turn out. Judson fails to apply some twist to the backstory that causes you to think differently about the present -- it's just two straight stories that are broken up by chapters, rather than running in chronological order.Aside from the flashback problem, not much happens in this novel's fairly short length. The general has a personality before a certain event and a different one after, but he doesn't grow or change. Neither does his daught... moreer Justa, who narrates the story. A lot more could have been done with Justa, but it never happened.
review 2: Although the title gives you the impression that most of this book is about the daughter, it's more about her fascination for and personal envelopment by her father. A man who is entirely alone as he both a man of war, faith, and honor. The adjective "martian" has less to do with the general's eventual position before seeking the title of emporer, and more to do with the alienation and sense of "other" that embodies the man. As a Christian, the author portrayed an interesting speculation on the nature of the faith in the future. It speculated on Christianity's competition with new religions, mass persecution at the hands of "more rational individuals", and eventual survival all happening in the next 300 years.Read this book; it's short and sweet. less

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